WASHINGTON, March 24 (UPI) -- Gasoline prices in the United States hit a record high Wednesday, months ahead of the peak summer driving season.
The American Automobile Association said prices rose to an average $1.74 a gallon for regular gasoline, up one-tenth of a penny from the previous record set last Aug. 30, the New York Times reported.
The continuing price increase is blamed on the high price of crude oil.
The AAA reported California had the highest average gasoline prices at $2.14 a gallon. The lowest of $1.61 a gallon was recorded in Georgia and South Carolina.
The prices may be high in nominal terms, but the report said the current price is far less than the inflation-adjusted peak of $2.94 a gallon set in 1981.
However, the prospect of prices going much higher this summer has not been ruled out.
Crude prices are currently around $37 a barrel, up about 14 percent from December.
The higher prices are hitting the economy and could become a major issue in the presidential campaign.
President Bush's spokesman Scott McClellan Wednesday told reporters, "Like most Americans, the president is concerned about rising gas prices."
However, McClellan said there are no current plans to tap into the country's Strategic Petroleum Reserve or to suspend the program which would cause prices to fall.
McClellan also ruled out any plan by the Bush administration to apply pressure on the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to increase production to bring down prices.
